If not knowing where he is playing hockey next year is beginning to stress Roberto Luongo, he isn’t showing it.

There is no end in sight to Luongo prattle. He even created “news” with a joke in Las Vegas. While making small talk at a table, he told someone from the Sunshine state he just “might” be going to Florida. A headline from a notable, big sports network soon followed: “Luongo admits he ‘might be’ a Panther soon.”

Maybe that’s one of Luongo’s problems. His jokes often buzz right over people’s heads.

But Florida hasn’t been the most interested team recently involved in trade talks with the Canucks. It’s been the Chicago Blackhawks, who have been mulling over the idea and have had conversations with Vancouver.

They even reportedly dangled one of Vancouver’s arch-enemies, Dave Bolland, to the crew over at Rogers Arena. Now, that would take some getting used to, both for fans and players.

[np-related]

Bolland in the same locker-room as the Sedins? You could probably put their first handshake on PPV. Luongo with Patrick Kane? File it under ‘we’d have to see it to believe it.’

A Luongo-to-Chicago trade is fascinating because of the layers involved. Would the Canucks be making the Hawks, their heated rivals, better? Depends on who they get back.

Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

If anything the Canucks have less urgency to trade Luongo after the NHL’s first play in labour negotiations. The league’s reported initial proposal essentially asks the players to tear up the current CBA and build a new one. You know, so they can get screwed even more.

And no one should be surprised. The owners got what they wanted after the 2004-05 lockout, so why not go for more? The players have already lost, and always will with a hard salary cap. The title of every CBA negotiation has already been set: How much will the players lose this time?

Everyone knew the owners would be gunning for something close to a 50/50 split of revenues, so it was predictable in their first proposal they’d ask the players to reduce their piece of the pie from the current 57 per cent to a proposed 46 per cent.

Some have called the proposal a declaration of labour war, believing there is no way now the season will start on time. That could benefit the Canucks in a couple of areas, and hurt them significantly in another.

On the positive side, they have even more time to trade Luongo.

In the meantime, the goalie finished 634th out of 6,598 poker players, earning $19,277 on the $10,000 buy-in picked up by the BCLC, which got a ridiculous amount of publicity for sponsoring Luongo.

Luongo continually crowed about his patience at the poker table. Interesting, because how he plays poker is how GM Mike Gillis has been handling his trade. Like he’s got all the time in the world. And maybe he does.

The secondary benefit is obviously for Ryan Kesler, who will be protected either from himself or the team, whichever one is really to blame for the fact he’s been rushed back from injuries in the past.

Kesler had shoulder surgery in May. The recovery time is about six months. But you just know in early October, if the Canucks are playing, there’d be an urge to get him on the ice. An itch. There’s no itch with a lockout.

But the Canucks could also face some serious problems if there is a lockout, and that would come with a condensed schedule. Few teams travel as much as the Canucks, and fewer days off would put a lot of stress on what is a veteran team, one of the 10 oldest in the NHL last year.

With whatever season there is, the NHL will try to squeeze in as many games as possible. That’s not going to go over too well in Vancouver, which has put a significant amount of resources into reducing strains on players caused by travel.

Too bad, because the Canucks were ecstatic with the schedule drawn up for the 2012-13 season. It was their best in years. Condensed schedules will always favour teams which are younger and travel less.

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